Varietal stability, yield and quality performance of Long radish (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus l.) in mid country wet zone of Sri Lanka

Along with the increasing trend of tourism in Sri Lanka, there is a growing demand for radish varieties suitable for salads especially from hotel industries. The locally recommended radish varieties, Beeralu and Japanese ball, are not appropriate to this requirement. Though few exotic long radish varieties are cultivated in Up Country, their adaptability in other regions is poorly understood. Aiming to select high yielding, low pungency varieties adaptable to Mid Country Wet Zone climatic conditions, three Korean long radish varieties were evaluated along with the existing exotic radish variety, Green bow, for four consecutive seasons. Randomized Complete Block Design was used with three replicates. Yield and quality performances and stability parameters for single plant weight, single root weight and total yield were recorded. There were differences among the varieties for root length, root circumference, single plant weight, single root weight and total yield. Varieties, Supergiljo (53.2 t/ha) and Yeongdong (52.5 t/ha) had given higher yield. Higher stability for single plant weight (D = 0.252 and 0.113), root weight (D = 0.182 and 0.120) and total yield (D = 4.875 and 7.367) over seasons indicates their adaptability for Mid Country Wet Zone. Highest median value and sum of ranks in the sensory evaluation revealed the suitability of Yeongdong and Supergiljo for salad purposes.